Printing and auditing device.



PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

13. J. BRANDT. PRINTING AND AUDITING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12,1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

E. J. BRANDT. PRINTING AND AUDITING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12,1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

h n I a m PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

E. J. BRANDT.

PRINTING AND AUDITING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 12,1902.

6 EHEETS-BHBBT 3.

aw QQ A\ b\ %& MW \R N\\ m Na an 3 mw MQ (A e y 0U M (91/ Womw u smumc0, PHOTO-LIYHOGRAPHERS. wLsrimcma c.

7 No. 796,984. PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

E. J. BRANDT. PRINTING AND AUDITING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12,1902- 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

@ ZMZZU C WO (Wa g Ammzw a. cmum co. PHOIO-LITHUGWAPHERS. wnsummun. n c.

PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

' E. J. BRANDT.

PRINTING AND AUDITING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.12,1902.

6 SHEETS- SHBET 5.

PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

E. J. BRANDT. PRINTING AND AUDITING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12,1902- 6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD J. BRANDT, OF IVATERTOVV N WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO BRANDT CASHIERCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

PRINTING AND AUDITING DEVICE.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed September 12, 1902. Serial No. 123,080.

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BRANDT, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of W atertown, in the county of Jefferson and State ofIVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPrinting and Auditing Devices; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to printing and auditing devices designedespecially for use in connection with the sales-slips of a mercantileestablishment; and it consists in certain peculiarities of constructionand combination of parts, as will be fully set forth hereinafter inconnection with the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a longitu- I dinal vertical sectionalview of a machine embodying my present invention, taken on the planesindicated by the line A A in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a like sectional viewtaken on the plane indicated by the line B B in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a planview of said machine with the top covering-plate removed and certainadjacent parts shown in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a pair ofduplicate slips; and Fig. 3 a like view of a portion of thepermanent-record strip, showing them in their relative positions afterhaving been printed upon, in, and by said machine. Figs. 4 and 5 aretransverse vertical sectional views taken on the planes indicated by thelines C C and D D, respectively, in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a horizontalsectional VIGW' taken on the plane indicated by the line E E in Fig. 1.Fig. 7 is a detail view of part of the tripping mechanism of theprinting-anvil. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the entire machine.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 1 represents the base of the saidmachine, from which rises a suitable casing 2, which in practice is madein removable sections for greater convenience in assembling the parts, 3designating the top covering-plate, and one of the sides having alongitudinal slot protected by a flared mouthpiece A for receiving theduplicate sales-slips and the opposite side being provided with a hingedand locked door 5 for obtaining access to the interior of the devicewhen necessary, as when the record-strip is to be removed. Journaled insaid door and in the opposite wall of the casing is the shaft 6 of aroller 7, below which is a plate 8, having a space below same for thesupply of the paper which forms the continuous permanentrecord strip 9,said plate 8 having a bracketarm 10 rising from the side edges tosupport the adjacent ends of the shaft of guide-rollers 11 12, overwhich said strip 9 passes, (the other ends of said shafts beingjournaled in the casing-walk) the said strip 9 thence extending downwardbetween feed-rollers 13 14: to the bottom of the receptacle beneathplate 15, the said strip being preferably first folded back and forth insections of equal length, as shown in Fig. 1. Coinciding with the upperand lower walls of the said longitudinal slot in the casing are fiatplates 16 17, forming a flat tube for the reception of the duplicatesales-slips 18 19, the said tube being formed with oblong perforations2O 21 therein for the passage therethrough of the impactpieces orprinting-anvils 22.

Bracket-arms 23 are bolted to the casing wall and project inward,terminating in guidesleeves 242, which receive headed guide-posts 25,having ears extending upward from their heads, to which the anvils 22are pivotally secured by bolts 26, there being springs 27 secured to thebracket-arms 23 and whose free ends are forked and bear up against theunder sides of the heads of the posts 25, so as to always tend to forcethe anvils 22 upward.

28 designates a plunger projecting vertically through the top plate 3 ofthe casing and through the plates 16 17 and formed with a transversenotch 29 adjacent to its lower end to receive a wrist-pin 30 on acrank-arm 31, fast on a rock-shaft 32, journaled in lugs 33 33,projecting inwardly from the casing-wall, and to this rock-shaft thereare made fast a series of other crank-arms 34 34:, (one adjacent to eachanvil,) and to the lower ends of the said crank-arms 34. are pivotallyattached rods 35, whose free ends are supported by hangers 36, dependingfrom the bracket-arms 23. Rigid with the rods 35 intermediate of theirends are blocks 37, each formed on one side with a recess 38, with astraight rear wall and an oblique front wall adjacent to the posts 25,past which the said blocks move, the said posts having pins 39 throughtheir lower ends.

IO represents a dog in the recess 38 of each block 37, the rear end ofsaid dog being fast to one end of a journal A1, passing through saidblock 37, and the other end of said journal 4:1 is made fast to asmaller dog L2 on the other side of said block, and a spring 43, also onsaid other side of the block, serves normally to hold up the' free endof dog 42, and consequently the like end of dog 40.

The plunger 28 is provided with a collar 44 and surrounded between saidcollar and the described plate 16 with a very strong spiral spring 45,of much greater force than that of the described springs 27 and 43.

Rising from the plate is an arm 46, which forms a bearing for one end ofthe shaft of the feed-roller 13, (the other end of the shaft beingjournaled in the casing-wall 2,) and beyond the arm 46 the said shaftcarries a ratchet-wheel 47. The rock-shaft 32 has fast thereon acrank-arm 48, to whose free end there is pivotally secured, by swivel 49and transverse pivot 50, a pawl 51 for engagement with the teeth of thesaid wheel 47, against which the said pawl is normally held by spring52, depending from a lug 53, projecting inwardly from the casingadjacent to the edge of door 5. The other feed-roller 14 is mounted on ashaft, one end of which is journaled in the casing-wall 2 and the otherend in the upper flanged end of a support 54, rising from the base 1 ofthe machine.

Above the line of the described fiat tube, formed of the plates 16 17,there are located the type-slides, extending longitudinally of themachine, and the ink-ribbons, disposed transversely to said slides. Inthe illustration given there are three of such ribbons, (marked,respectively, '55, 56, and 57,) this machine being organized to havethree printing points or lines, which are always stationary, (andindicated by the dotted lines 58 59 60 in Fig. 3,) the type-slides beingmoved back and forth, so as to bring the characters which it is desiredto print with over said lines. The machine herein represented has in alleleven of these type-slides, as follows: Starting on the side adjacentto the mouthpiece 4 are three date-slides, one, 61, bearing the names ofthe months in regular order once repeated, and next a slide 62, havingthe numerals 1, 2, 3, once repeated farther on, and next the slide 63bears the characters 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, also once repeated.Next after a slight space is another typeslide 64, which bears thecharacters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, twice repeated, the rear end ofthe slide being increased in width toward its end on an oblique line andthe third set of numerals in this slide being placed adjacent to saidoblique edge, so that the characters are each successively farther awayfrom the line of the slide, as shown in Fig. 3, there being after eachcharacter a dash leading toward the opposed straight edge of the slide.Next comes slide 65, hearing the same characters in three sets, all inline with each other. Next is slide 66, which bears any desiredarbitrary symbol (for example X) twlce repeated, and next a group oflive slides,

67 68 69 7O 71, each exactly alike and each bearing the ten arithmeticalcharacters 1 to O in three sets. All of the said characters on all ofthe type-slides are in relief and reversed like type on the under sidesof said slides, forming printing-surfaces, and each slide is formed witha pair of longitudinal slots therethrough, those in the slides 61 62 63being nearer together than those in the remaining slides. The slots inthe three date-type slides are marked 72 73 and the slots in the otherslides are designated 74 7 5. Extending through slots 72 and 74 of allthe slides is a stationary journal 76, carrying rollers 77 77, whichrevolve thereon, said rollers being kept in place, each in line with oneof the slides, by proper collars 78 on said journal 76, so that the saidslides move freely on said rollers within the limits of the slots. Thereis a similar stationary journal 79 extending through the slots of theslides 64 to 71, inclusive, carrying like rollers 80, similarly held inplace by collars 81 on said journal 79, and in place of a journal forthe slots 73 of the date-type slides there is a stud 82 extendingthrough said slots, this stud having a head at its inner end and aforked connection 83 with the casing-wall at its outer end, as shownbest in Fig. 3. Each type-slide carries near one end an indicator-plate84, supported by stud 85 on the top of the slide, so as to come justbelow the top covering-plate 3 of the casing, and the latter is formedwith sight-openings 86 87 therethrough to observe the marks on the saidindicator-plates, which are duplicates of the type characters on theunder sides of the said slides and so disposed that when any charactershows through a sight-opening the corresponding type character of everyseries on said slide is just over a printing-ribbon. The top plate 3 ofthe casing is further provided with longitudinal slots 88 89 for theshanks 9O 91 of the typeslides, which are arranged to extend from theslides up through said slots, and the upper ends of the shanks 90 allterminate in lingerpulls 92, while the shanks 91 of the date-typeslides, which are only moved to change the date, do not require suchaids for quick manipulation, and a hole 99 in the top of each shank 91to receive a pin or the like is sulficient.

The upper surfaces of the slides 64 to 71, inclusive, are formed withseries of transverse rounded grooves 93, corresponding in number andrelative location to the type characters in each set on said slide,these grooves on each slide being for the reception of a guide-roller 94at the free end of a spring 95, whose 11pper end is secured to the underside of the top plate 3, there being a somewhat similar arrangement forthe date-type slides 61 62 63; only with these, V-shaped corrugations 96are sufficient, and the springs 97 have merely similarly-shaped lowerfree ends 98 for ening the month.

gagement with the corrugations 96, the latter similarly corresponding innumber and location to the type characters on the dateslides and thesprings 97 being similarly secured at their upper ends to the top plate3.

The transverse ribbons 55 56 57, hereinbefore referred to, extend from aseries of spools 100 on a shaft 101 on one side of the machine toa'corresponding series of spools 102 on a shaft 103 on the oppositeside, passing under the described type slides horizontally (by means ofthe side guides 104.) and over the described tube-plate 16. The shaft101, called the feed-shaft, has a ratchet-wheel 105 fast thereon andnext to this wheel carries loosely the hub of an arm 106, having aforked free end for engagement with a pin 107 on the hereinbefore-namedplunger 28, said arm 106 having pivoted thereto a pawl 108 forengagement with the ratchet-wheel 105. The said plunger carries anotherpin 109 to limit its upward movement by contact with the plate 17, saidupward movement after each depression serving to turn the ratchet-wheel105 the distance of one tooth, and thereby wind up the ribbons acorresponding distance on the spools 100, which are all fast on thefeed-shaft 101. The other shaft 103, called the winding-shaft, projectsthrough one end of the machine-casing and is there shown as providedwith a convenient finger-wheel 110, whereby the ribbons can beconveniently rewound at one operation on the spools 102, all fast onsaid shaft 103. These shafts 101 and 103 are conveniently supported bymeans of bracketarms 111 112, extending inwardly from the sides of thecasing of the machine.

The operation of my machine will be readily understood from theforegoing description -of its constructlon, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings. The first thing to do each morning is to set thedate-slides.

The operator first adjusts the month-slide 61, so that the current monthis brought to view at the left hand of the sight-opening 86, and thisslide of course is not to be changed dur- This is easily done with acommon pin inserted in the hole 99of the shank 91 of said slide 61 anddrawing the slide the proper way, the spring 97 readily yielding, andwhen the proper month-date shows in the sight-opening the end 98 ofspring 97 will rest securely in the proper corrugation 96 and thecharacter or word indicating the month will be exactly over theprinting-lines 58 and 59 with the longitudinal centers of theink-ribbons 55 and 56 in line therewith. Let it be supposed that thedate is January 21. The next operation is to similarly move the slide 62to proper place, which would require that said slide be moved until thenumeral 2 showed in the sight-opening, and then slide 63 is similarlymoved till the numeral 1 showed at the right of the sight-opening 86,thus insuring that the complete date named was over the two describedprinting-lines 58 and 59, (no further change of any of these slidesbeing made till the succeeding d ay,) and the machine is now ready toprint and audit the days sales.

As previously stated, this machine is designed especially for use inconnection with the sales-slips of a mercantile establishment, and whenthe clerk has written the items of a cash sale to a customer on theregular duplicate (original and carbon copy) sales-slips these areseparated and lapped over one upon the other, as indicated in Fig. 3,but without writing the total amount of such sales. The clerk then movesslides 6 1 65 so as to bring the numerals which designate his number asclerk over the printing-line. Let it be supposed that this clerks numberis 31. By moving the said slides till the figure 3 shows at the left insight-opening 87, with the figure 1 next to it, where the words ClerksNo. appears on the plate 3. Next the clerk mentally computes the totalamount of the items of sale and pushes the salesslips in their describedoverlapped positions through the flared mouthpiece 4 into the flat tubebetween the plates 16 17 and proceeds to manipulate the slides at theright-hand side of the machine, these slides moving very easily whenpressure is applied to their finger-pulls. Suppose the total of the salejust referred to is two dollars and twenty-five cents. Slides 70 71 arethe cents slides and slides 67 68 69 are the dollars slides in themachine illustrated in the present drawings. Slides 67 and 68 being,respectively, for hundreds of dollars and tens of dollars must be movedso that blank spaces shall show in the sightopening 87, but slide 69 ismoved to show 2 and slide 70 to show 2 and slide 71 to show 5 Then asingle impact is given to plunger 28, which depresses the same and thefree end of crank-arm 31 and drives crankarm 34, rods 35, and blocks 37forward and operating the tripping mechanism in and adjacent to saidblock which had served in the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 tokeep the printing-anvils 22 down below the flat tube-plate 16, the pins39 of the anvil-supporting posts 25 being normally held below the dogs10; but as the blocks 37 are forced forward the recesses 38, back of thedogs 10, receive the pins 39, and instantly the springs 27 operate tolift the anvils 22 upward and their operative faces pass through thedescribed slotted openings 20 21 in plate 17 of the flat tube and makesudden impact on the paper in the tube and force the paper against theink-ribbons above (the upper plate 16 being similarly slotted at 20 21)and drive both paper and ribbon against the characters on thetype-slides which at that moment are on the printing-lines above saidslotted openings, thereby simultaneously printing said characters on thepaper in the tube, two of the three impressions falling upon thesales-slips 18 19 and the third impression being upon the permanentrecord-strip, resulting in the printing Jan 21 31 225, as shown at Fig.3 and Fig. 3 in the illustration given. On account of the peculiaroblique arrangement of the numerals on the farther end of slide 64: itis made much easier to check up and separate the entries of thedifferently-numbered clerks in auditing these accounts than if theclerks numbers were all in perfect line with each other, the auditorsrecord-strip showing only the clerks number and total amount of eachsale. The moment that these several impressions have been thussimultaneously printed the ink-ribbons are shifted in the manner alreadydescribed by the return of the plunger, (which is automatically done bythe force of the spring 45,) and simultaneously therewith therecord-strip is moved forward by the rocking of the rockshaft 32 as itreturns to its normal position, thus drawing up the pawl 51 (previouslydepressed by the initial turn of the rock-shaft when the plunger 28 wasdepressed) against the adjacent tooth of the ratchet-wheel 47, fast onthe shaft of feed-roller 13, whose consequent movement turns feed-roller14 and draws down the continuous record-strip 9 a space equal to thewidth of one tooth of the ratchet-wheel 47, all the ratchet-wheels beingproportioned to the spacing apart of the printing characters on thetype-slides, and hence the printing from the slides and the shifting ofthe ink-ribbons and record-strip are consequent upon each reciprocatingof the plunger 28 actuated by a single depression thereof, and thereforeafter each printing the machine is in condition for the next, withnothing to do except to adjust the type-slides for the new clerks numberand total amount of sales and to place the fresh sales-strips within themouthpiece.

It remains to describe the function and object of the slide 66, whichbears the arbitrary symbol (as X) twice repeated. In case the clerk hasmade an error in the computation of the total amount of the item of anysale then immediately upon discovering this he adjusts the slide toprint his clerks number and brings the character on the slide 66 intoline and then adjusts the slides for the original amounttwo dollars andtwentyfive centss0 that when he depresses the plunger 28 the entry willbe made on the record-strip thus 31 X 225, and next he moves the slide66 so that same will not print and adjusts the slides at the right-handside for the correct amount-say ten cents moreand again depresses theplunger 28, and the succeeding entry on the record-strip will read 31235, thus showing the auditor the correct amount, as this means that theentry with the X after the clerks number and the preceding same entryare both to be canceled and their places to be taken by the entryimmediately following the entry with the X.

While I have shown and described one form of tripping mechanism foroperating the printing-anvils, the details may be changed within thescope of the claims without departing from my invention; but the formshown constitutes an eifective means, and in the constructionillustrated as soon as the printing has been efiected and the plunger 28automatically raised by the force of its spring 15 the blocks 37 aredrawn backward, which causes the dogs 10 to pass under the pins 39 inthe recesses 38, and when the beveled front ends of said recesses comeagainst said pins 39 this will cause the dogs 4:0 to yield and permitthe escape of the said pins 39, and the springs 43 will at once bringthe dogs 10 to their original position, so that as the blocks 37 aredrawn farther backward they and the dogs 40 will be over the said pins39, thus drawing down the posts 25, and with them the printing-anvils,to their former position (illustrated in Fig. 4) below the plane of thelower plate 17, ready for the next printing operation when the plungeris again depressed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a printing and auditing device the combination with a suitablecasing containing supports for paper to be imprinted, comprising aslotted tube for separate pieces of paper, and a holder for a continuousweb of paper; of a series of longitudinally-adjustable typeslides, eachcontaining printingcharacters arranged in series, and repeated atintervals, longitudinally of the slide, a series of impactpieces, aseries of ink-ribbons arranged below the operative faces of thetype-slides, and means for bringing the impactpieces, typeslides andink-ribbon together against the interposed paper.

2. In a printing and auditing device the combination with a suitablecasing containing slotted tubular and web-holding supports for paper tobe imprinted, of a series of longitudinally-adjustable slidescontainingprinting characters arranged in series, and repeated atintervals, means for applying ink to said printing-surfaces and meansfor impacting the paper against the printing-surfaces of said forbringing the impact-pieces, type-slides and ink-ribbon together againstthe interposed paper, and for feeding the ink-ribbons and continuous webof paper forward, all by a single reciprocation of said plunger.

4. In a printing and auditing device the combination with a suitablecasing containing supports for paper to be imprinted, comprising aslotted tube for separate pieces of paper, and a holder for a continuousweb of paper; of aseries of longitudinally-adjustable slides containingprinting characters arranged in series, and repeated at intervals;ribbons for applying ink to said printing-surfaces and means forsimultaneously impacting the separate pieces and the continuous web ofpaper against the printing-surfaces of said slides.

5. In a printing and auditing device, the combination with a slottedtube for holding separate pieces of paper in the desired relation toeach other; a series of printing-anvils having impact-faces supported inline with and below the slots in said tube; a series of longitudinallymovable type slides containing printing characters on their undersurfaces, arranged in series, and repeated at intervals, said slidesbeing supported above the said slotted tube; ink-ribbons arranged belowthe said type-slides and above said tube in line with the slots therein;and means for forcing said printing-anvils upward and driving theirimpact-faces through the slots in the tube and carrying the paperagainst the ink-ribbons, and the latter against the type-slides.

6. In a printing and auditing device, the combination with apaper-support, of a pair of longitudinally-movable type-slides,containing printing characters on their under surfaces, arranged inseries, or sets, repeated at intervals, those in one of the slides beingall in line with each other, and this slide being of uniform widththroughout, while the rear end of the other slide is increased in width,toward said end, on an oblique line, and the rear set of printingcharacters, at this end of said slide, being placed adjacent to saidoblique edge, so that said characters are each successively placedfarther away from the longitudinal line of the said slide.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand,atlvlilwaulree, in the county of Milwaukee and State of WVisconsin inthe presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD J. BRANDT.

W itnesses:

H. G. UNDERwooD, BERNARD G. ROLOFF.

